Believe it or not, staying healthy is beyond keeping your body in proper condition. It is now a fashion statement, a trend and part of pop culture. As a result, more people understand the benefits of staying and looking healthy. Health consciousness is now a measure of status and the basis of connection. Now, you find friends, groups and clubs with a common goal of staying healthy. These support groups spur members to exercise more, eat better and give their bodies the desired rest and TLC.
Beyond the sense of belonging people get from leading a healthy life, staying fit is crucial to having a good standard of living, improved body function and staying younger. Yet as fancy and exciting as it sounds, it is not an easy decision to make, and many people who practice healthy living have had to start over again so many times. People in fit fam will tell you the temptation to give up and indulge in cravings or stop physical and mental exercise is high. But, unfortunately, the temptation never stops; you only get stronger at saying no and becoming disciplined. So, you’ll need all the boost and help you can get to stay committed to healthy living.
Below are the Top 8 Tips To Stay Healthy In 2023
Exercise regularly and eat right
Exercise and a good diet would do you a lot of good. Exercising has a lot of benefits for the body, and so does eating right. Exercise reduces stress, improves your mental capacity, and is a natural pain reliever. 20 minutes a day of exercise, either yoga stretches or aerobics could be all the magic you need this year. Experts say we need at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. So why not take up the challenge this year? Likewise, a healthy diet strengthens the body and reduces your risk of contracting non-communicable diseases like diabetes, stroke, cancer and heart disease.
Therefore below are a couple of activities to help keep you stay in shape and healthy;
- Take regular walks for 30 minutes or less.
- Do some yoga stretches or jump a rope in the morning after waking up
- Take time to meditate while stretching in the morning.
- For those working from home, make a point to move around and do light stretches.
Exercise in nature increases your level of dopamine and natural endorphins released from the body. In addition, exercising outdoors provides psychological boosts.
Consider a Mediterranean diet
- Consume less sugar and salt
- Avoid fatty food
- Avoid carbs and junk
- Eat at the right time
- Avoid starving
So, make it a point this year to exercise regularly and eat right. Don’t procrastinate your decision to sign up for that gym. Buying those dumbbells, starting a Mediterranean diet, cutting down on sugar and carbonated drinks, buying a yoga mat, or any other thing you’ll need for your eating and exercise journey.
Drink lots of water
We often hear the phrase, water is life. As an adult, you are expected to consume 2-3 litres of water daily. An expert said, ‘Since we’re mostly water, it makes sense that we would need to replenish our body’s supply continually’. Drinking lots of water helps your body flush waste and keeps your joints lubricated while performing its role as a shock absorber. Water keeps the body at the right temperature, flushes toxins and maintains homeostasis. Owning a reusable water bottle is a start to your healthy habit journey. Take a sip whenever you’re bored, tired and thirsty. Here are more reasons to drink more water
- Water cleanses the skin
- It controls your appetite and keeps you active
- It is beneficial to your kidneys
- Water prevents you from consuming unhealthy beverages
- Water stimulates the digestive system and increases your metabolic level.
- Make healthy choices and drink more water because water is life.
Have a plan for every day
Having a plan is an important aspect that we often neglect. Whether we want to get in shape, lose weight, be a better human, practice celibacy, communicate more with loved ones, eat healthier or quit drinking and smoking. It is essential to have a plan. And there are different ways to achieve these plans. These strategies are effective if a person is consistent. Write down the tasks you have to accomplish tomorrow; It doesn’t matter if the list is long; write it down. Make sure you include a ‘me time’. A time just for yourself to relax, watch a movie, take a nap, visit the spa or read a favourite book.
Prioritize your list
Assign each task a number in order of priority and urgency. And in case you plan on prioritizing based on those you like, wait to do it. Make the unpleasant task a top priority. This is important because your mind is fresh in the early hours without the stress and frustrations of the day. Begin the next day with number one and stick to it until accomplished. Then, proceed to number two and complete it. Keep doing this until you complete each task. Don’t panic if you cannot meet all the tasks on your list in one day. You would have done the most critical tasks.
Create a new sheet with the tasks that could not be accomplished the previous day and add new functions if need be. Plans shouldn’t be a reason for unnecessary pressure. On the contrary, plans are meant to make life easier. Therefore, if you fail to achieve all that you had set out to accomplish for the day, don’t panic. Instead, make them the top priority for the next day and ensure you complete them. This exercise helps you keep track of all you need to do, have done and should do. Like every strategy out there, being consistent and sticking to your plan makes a successful plan. Thus make up your mind this year to stay healthy by having a working strategy.
Avoid self-medication
These medications are often called ‘over-the-counter drugs’. They are found in drugstores and other outlets. We often self-medicate because we want to save on cost and time. So we opt for over-the-counter drugs. These medications usually meet the immediate need, but there are side effects. Self-medication is harmful to the body and should be avoided. In 2023 make up your mind to stay healthy and do the following;
- Stop self-medication.
- Seek psychological help
- Get rid of all over-the-counter drugs.
- Check-in with medical personnel or a doctor when you’re sick.
Self-medication makes the body resistant to proper medications like antibiotics. When this happens, it becomes difficult to treat the body of illnesses. Hence avoiding self-medication should be a top priority for our 2023 healthy lifestyle.
Sleep and rest more
Sleep and relaxation boost our overall productivity levels. So imagine going without sleep; it is more like expecting your phone to run at 15% charge throughout the day. Your body needs to rest, and sleep affords it that luxury. Your body requires time to recharge to function adequately, learn new things, and do essential work. The body should not be deprived of being at rest. If you have a busy schedule, make sure you have time to nap at intervals.
Take days to catch up on sleep and rest. Enough sleep will improve your immune system.
Spend more time in nature
Have you ever wondered why doctors recommend sitting in the sun? A lot of you are thinking of sunburns and the like. But Getting into nature can do us a whole lot of good. There are many activities that nature offers. It effectively counters all the screen time built into most of our days. When we spend time in nature, we meditate, think about life and appreciate the beauty of nature while basking in the sun. Spending time in nature can:
- Improve our cognitive capacity
- Increase your attention span
- Lower the risk of mental illness
- Increase empathy and social awareness
- Keep you energized and active
You can combine this with other healthy habits and experience nature’s beauty. Do this, and you are on your way to enjoying a healthy year.
Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking
Reducing the alcohol you consume does a lot for you, primarily if you are used to binge drink. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption that is beneficial to the body. Smoking like alcohol is terrible for your heart and lungs. It is also bad for your longevity. Smoking and drinking should be one of the habits to kick out this year to live a longer, healthier life. There are many more reasons to ditch drinking and smoking. Here are a few;
- Lowers risk of high blood pressure, depression and other conditions
- Decreases symptoms of those conditions
- It helps your body better absorb nutrients
- Improves sleep and minimizes fatigue
- Supports liver health
Love, live and laugh
Spending time with people we love is a healthy habit worth considering. Having someone to talk to keeps your mood up. It boosts your morale. Laughing is therapeutic and is recommended. Love yourself and your loved ones. Make sure they know you love them.
The author of the 1904 poem ‘success’, Bessie Anderson Stanley, wrote, ‘ He achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much. It was taken and re-written by others, but the first time these action words were spoken was in the Bible.
If you lack a social circle, make 2023 the year you intentionally work on making connections. This could mean striking up a conversation with a colleague or neighbour. Find love, make friends, reconnect with family, laugh more, live a little, and appreciate your achievements.
